[4.5]

The genderfluid prince book of my dreams! I'm obsessed with the rep and how it's just an accepted part of Sebastian, not something that needs to be exposition-ed at you, it just IS. I think this is the perfect book for exposing younger audiences to fluid genders. The themes are easily digestible, clear, and still retain some nuance despite the simplicity.

The friendship and developing feelings between Frances and Sebastian is very cute. The art is lovely and I recommend getting a physical copy if you can as the matte printing is gorgeous (as a opposed to the typical glossy printing). The dresses are just so darn cool!

The plot is a little cliche, but it didn't bother me. Also anachronisms abound as the time period is left very vague even if real countries are mentioned. Again, not something that bothered me, but something to be aware of going in for older readers who know their stuff (if you're like me, you'll cringe at the lady mentioning her husband, Archduke of Austria lol).

TW: outing, though ultimately this is on the cosier side and ends up being very affirming.